========================================= 

GAMBIA: Journalist released after nearly five months
in detention 

New York, October 12, 2006—Gambian authorities
released a journalist on Monday after detaining him
for nearly five months without charge, according to
news reports and local sources. The journalist was
arrested in a crackdown on a U.S.-hosted opposition
Web site. 

Malick Mboob, a former copy editor for the
pro-government Daily Observer, had been detained at
the headquarters of the National Intelligence Agency
(NIA) since his May 25 arrest on suspicion of
furnishing information to Freedom Newspaper
(http://www.freedomnewspaper.com). Freedom Newspaper
is run by Pa Nderry M’bai, a Gambian journalist based
in the United States. It is known for running pointed
commentary criticizing President Yahya Jammeh and his
ruling APRC party. Two other journalists—Pa Modou Faal
of the state-owned broadcaster GRTS and Musa Sheriff
of the independent magazine Gambia News & Report—were
arrested with Mboob but subsequently released. 

In an interview with CPJ today, Mboob said he was
questioned just once about a single communication to
M’bai in response to a Freedom Newspaper article
alleging the hospitalization of the president’s
mother. He denied having any link to M’bai. He was
held incommunicado, he said, and his office, home and
email account were searched. 

On Monday, a Banjul court ordered the NIA to release
Mboob after his lawyer threatened to file a suit
demanding his unconditional release, he told CPJ.
Gambian law requires that detainees be brought before
a court within 72 hours.

“The extended detention of individuals without charge
is in blatant disregard of the Gambia’s own laws,” CPJ
Executive Director Joel Simon said. “The case of Malik
Mboob is an alarming illustration of authorities’
growing persecution of members of the media.”

Mboob said he has not been charged but has been
ordered to report to the NIA on Friday. 

Another journalist, “Chief” Ebrimah B. Manneh of the
Daily Observer, has been missing since July 7. His
whereabouts are unknown, according to local sources.
Since March, government forces have shut down a
leading independent newspaper, jailed journalists
without due process, forced others into exile, and
brought criminal charges against a reporter under a
repressive media law.

CPJ is a New York–based, independent, nonprofit
organization that works to safeguard press freedom
worldwide. For more information, visit www.cpj.org.   
       

__________________________________________________
Do You Yahoo!?
Tired of spam?  Yahoo! Mail has the best spam protection around 
http://mail.yahoo.com 

¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤
To unsubscribe/subscribe or view archives of postings, go to the Gambia-L Web interface
at: http://listserv.icors.org/archives/gambia-l.html

To Search in the Gambia-L archives, go to: http://listserv.icors.org/SCRIPTS/WA-ICORS.EXE?S1=gambia-l
To contact the List Management, please send an e-mail to:
[log in to unmask]
¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤